SHEFFIELD, July 6, 2014 (AFP) - Vincenzo Nibali rode himself into the yellow jersey after a daring late break to win the second stage of the Tour de France on Sunday.

The 29-year-old former Giro d'Italia and Vuelta Espana champion finished two seconds clear of the field at the end of a punishing 201km ride from York to Sheffield in northern England. Belgian Greg Van Avermaet was second with Michal Kwiatkowski of Poland in third.

Van Avermaet moved up to third in the overall standings with Peter Sagan, who was fourth on this stage and second on Saturday's opening stage from Leeds to Harrogate, in second overall.

The Slovak, winner of the green jersey the last two years, had been the favorite to win this stage but was left behind by Nibali's break.

Sprinter Marcel Kittel, who started the day in yellow after winning Saturday's stage, finished almost 20 minutes behind in a group of sprinters.

It was a thrilling finish to an exciting stage that featured nine categorized climbs which eventually made the difference. The 4.7km long second category Holme Moss climb was the first to split the field 57.5km from the finish. After that the leaders rolled at breakneck speed and following the next four third and fourth category climbs, there were around 15 riders left to fight out the victory.

Overall contenders Contador and Froome both tried their luck on the short, steep, final Jenkins Road climb before Nibali, one of the overall contenders, used his descending skills to gain a gap on the field.

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World champion Rui Costa and Froome gave chase but neither committed fully, each looking to the other to take the lead, and Nibali had just enough to hold on.

Seven riders got away in an early break as soon as the stage began but they never managed to extend their lead to more than three minutes. By the time they reached the Holme Moss hill, the toughest climb of the day, with still more than 60km to race, their lead was down to just seconds and the break was doomed.

Frenchman Blel Kadri, did try to stay away and managed another 20km out on his own before he was caught on the next bump in the road, the third category Midhopestones climb, after spending 160km in the lead.

By now the main sprinters, including Kittel, had long been shelled out the back.

The pace kept going up, led by the Garmin-Sharp team of American Andrew Talansky, the Criterium du Dauphine winner, and that reduced the lead group to less than 20 riders.

Around 20-30 others got back in contact on the descent while another Frenchman, Pierre Roland, broke out for home on his own after going over the penultimate Oughtibridge climb 18km from home but his burst lasted only 10km.

Contador and Froome's late accelerations further shredded the field but Nibali had the last laugh.

What It Means
Today’s stage brought the first GC shake-up of the 2014 Tour de France as the climb of the Category 4 Cote du Jenkin Road gave the Tour’s favorites just enough of a launchpad to force a selection.

Vincenzo Nibali’s win was his first at the Tour de France and it serves to announce the Astana rider as a true GC contender following a winless spring that had many wondering—including team General Manager Alexandre Vinokourov—if Nibali would be able to contend for the win. So while a stage win wearing the tricolore of the Italian National Champion and a day in the yellow jersey are certainly nice additions to his resume, the psychological boost that comes with them could prove to mean much more by the time the race ends in Paris. Nibali’s officially put the rest of the Tour on notice: He’s ready to win and won’t go down without a fight.

Cannondale’s Peter Sagan is now second on GC and leads the Tour’s green jersey competition by 22 points. But once again, the Slovak has lost a bike race because his team failed to provide him with a domestique strong enough to make the day’s important selection alongside his captain. It’s something we’ve seen all season: The team works hard to keep Sagan out of trouble early then sets him up to be there end, but in doing so, leaves him isolated and with no help to cover late-race attacks. Today, Sagan made it over Jenkins Roads with the leaders and appeared to be on his way to an easy stage win, but when Nibali attacked, there was no one to help Sagan chase. Had he just one teammate, Nibali’s attack might have been reeled in.

What Will It Take for Sagan to Win?

As for Team Sky’s Chris Froome, his attack over the top of the Cote de Jenkin Road was nearly identical to the attack he launched over the Cote du Salario at the end of Stage 2 last year. Was he looking to gain time and perhaps the yellow jersey? Probably not. Froome’s not the most confident downhill rider and he often surges over the top of a climb when he senses other riders might try and him attack him on the descent. It’s a small investment of energy, but it keeps him safe and well-placed for the finish.

Last but not least, today’s shake-up might have ripple effects in the coming days—especially if the GC remains unchanged between now and Wednesday. The reason? Team cars.

A team car’s ability to get to its riders quickly can make the difference between a rider getting back to the group quickly or losing minutes. The order of the team cars in the caravan following the race is determined each morning based on the GC placings of the each team’s best rider. With Stage 5 and its nine sectors of cobblestones looming, a position near the front of the caravan could prove vital. The standings following today’s GC shake-up are likely to remain unchanged before Wednesday, meaning the team cars from Astana, Cannondale, and BMC will be able to reach their riders the quickest should they need wheel or bike changes following mechanicals on the cobblestones. For Astana, holding onto Car #1 will be particularly important as the team is relatively weak on pavé. On the other end of the spectrum, Garmin-Sharp’s best rider, Andrew Talansky, sits 21st overall, meaning his car will have a long way to go should he need assistance.

Ride of the Day
For an Italian, there’s perhaps no greater honor than winning a stage at the Tour de France while wearing the Italian national champion jersey. Unfortunately, for Vincenzo Nibali, he won’t be wearing that jersey tomorrow—but the one he’s trading it for is yellow.

What’s Next
After two hard days in Yorkshire, the Tours heads south for a relatively easy 155km stage from Cambridge to London. With fewer kilometers and no categorized climbs on tap, expect this to be a day for the field sprinters with Giant-Shimano’s Marcel Kittel and Lotto-Belisol’s Andre Greipel leading the way. Fans of dark horses should keep an eye on Europcar Frenchman Bryan Coquard. Riding in only his first Tour, the 22-year-old has impressed so far and currently sits second in the green jersey competition. Don’t be surprised if he scores France’s first stage win of the 2014 Tour.

News and Notes
—The fans were particularly troublesome for the peloton today as the cameras caught riders expressing their frustration with people lining the roads. Several small crashes were caused by the crush of the crowds on narrow roads. Luckily, no serious injuries were reported.

—Jens Voigt lost his polka dot jersey as the Tour’s King of Mountain leader to one of the members of the day’s long breakaway, Frenchman Cyril Lemoine from Cofidis. Lemoine now leads the competition by 1 point over Ag2r’s Blel Kadri and 2 points over Voigt. With no climbs on tap tomorrow, Lemoine will wear the jersey until the race heads back to France on Tuesday.

—The Tour saw its first abandons today. Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma–Quick-Step) announced at the start this morning that pain from his separated shoulder was too great to continue. And Lampre’s Sacha Modolo, who finished second-to-last yesterday, climbed off the bike mid-stage. Lampre appears to be hurting some—Maximiliano Richeze was also dropped both days and came in today two and a half minutes down on the grupetto.

—Some trivia: For the second year in a row, Kadri was named Stage 2’s Most Aggressive Rider.

—More trivia: the youngest rider in the Tour (Danny Van Poppel) and the oldest rider in the Tour (Jens Voigt) both ride for Trek Factory Racing. Van Poppel turns 21 on July 26th, and Voigt, at 42, is a little more than double the young Dutchman’s age.

The Ag2r squad relaxed in the Tour's Start Village for sponsors, media, and teams before the stage. (James Startt)

Eat This, Drink ThatThe gourmand's Tour de France

Wensleydale Cheese
England’s cheeses can never match the depth or breadth of France’s, but there’s no reason to overlook them. The great Stiltons hail from the isle’s south, but Yorkshire produces its own notable frommage, the crumbly, tangy Wensleydale. The 3- to 6-month aged cow’s milk cheese pairs wonderfully with fruit and desserts thanks to its combination of creamy and acidic lemon flavors. It’s history dates back to the Middle Ages with French monks that settled in Wensleydale adapting their own cheese recipes to the local milk. Notably, in George Orwell’s treatise 'In Defence of English Cooking,' the author called Wensleydale the second-best British cheese—albeit behind Stilton.